An Introduction to Road Bowling for young first time bowlers
As part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival
NEWS & RESULTS
AN 18 SCORE PROGRAMME MAKES SOUTH-WEST FUNDRAISER ANOTHER SUCCESS
Bowling Report - Week ending 05th April
The Annual Easter South West road bowling fundraiser at Lyre saw strong competition, with notable wins for Ger Connolly, Timmie O’Sullivan, and Gavin Twohig, among others.
At the Armagh Ból Fada weekend, Cork players performed strongly, with major wins for Emma Hurley, Shane Crowley, Anthony Gould & Michael Murphy, and Eoin McCarthy & Kevin Ó’Cruálaoi, while Colm Rafferty retained the Joe McVeigh Cup.
Other scores included Gary Daly’s loss to Ethan Rafferty, Brian O’Driscoll’s first defeat in a year, and further competitive scores across the weekend’s fixtures.
The Annual Easter South West fundraiser was held at Lyre, some of the feature scores include Ger Connolly who beat John A.Murphy by two bowls of odds, playing for a stake of €600 a-side. Two each to Harte’s house where Connolly was just fore bowl, at the School cross in two more Connolly extended his lead to forty meters, Murphy took his first lead back of O’Donovan’s pillars in two more. Connolly got three great bowls to sight for the home straight and it took Murphy four. Connolly powered home to win by almost two bowls.
Timmie O’Sullivan and Diarmuid Lucey had a ding dong battle out the road for a stake of €1,550 a-side. Lucey made the better start raising a bowl after three shots to the Mason’s bend. Lucey undid all his good bowling with a poor bowl down the big hill and O’Sullivan took his first lead back of O’Donovan’s pillars, and he held a thirty meter advantage at the School. Lucy lined a huge bowl past the Creamery to win back the lead, but O’Sullivan wasn’t done yet as he got a huge bowl himself to the double gates that whittled the odds back to forty five meters. The both got poor next shots only past Ballinascarthy cross, O’Sullivan lined what looked like a winner but Lucey beat this tip well.
Gavin Twohig had a trap to line win over Johnny O’Driscoll playing for a stake of €1,000 a-side. Twohig made the Creamery entrance in two shots where he had forty meters of odds, two more to the School cross where he was now throwing his odds over thirty meters, he got an incredible bowl from here that covered the whole straight to O’Donovan’s pillars, this raised a bowl and big odds for him. Twohig got a poor bowl up the hill but had big odds with the bowl heading up the home straight. O’Driscoll was very right and only made the lollipops and Twohig made Hegarty’s Wall where matters were terminated.
In other scores that took part Tom McCarthy beat James O’Driscoll by the last shot for €300 a-side, Michael A.Cronin beat Jack O’Callaghan by the last shot for €850 a-side, Kieran O’Sullivan beat Jack O’Driscoll by two bowls for €1,000 a-side, Con O’Sullivan beat Deckie O’Mahony by two bowls for €700 a-side, Thomas Maloney beat Damien Daly by two bowls for €500 a-side, Darren O’Driscoll beat Matthew Limerick by two bowls for €800 a-side, Gearoid Lucey beat Pat Daly by two bowls for €2,200 a-side.
Sunday’s action got under way where Jamie McCarthy had a convincing win over Vincent Roche for €550 a-side. In the return route Carbery’s Colm Crowley had a trap to line win over Diarmuid Hurley playing for a stake of €2,250 a-side. Crowley made the creamery in three and out to the school cross in two more where he had a bowl of odds. He increased this to two bowls above O’Donovan’s pillars and held this to the home straight, no catching him from there.
P.J O’Driscoll reversed the result of a recent beating he got from Martin McSweeney at Ballinagree, playing for a stake of €1,850 a-side, both went out the Mason’s bend in three with McSweeney just fore bowl. McSweeney made the layby in two more and a purley-cue down the hill to O’Donovan’s pillars from O’Driscoll secured almost a bowl of odds for him, O’Driscoll followed this up with another big bowl half way to the school cross that raised a full bowl for him. McSweeney wasn’t giving up the race just yet as he played three great bowls past the school and the creamery where O’Driscoll odds was back to fifty meters. McSweeney got a poor bowl back of Ballinascarthy cross and got punished as O’Driscoll went on top of the line, McSweeney put down a good last shot but O’Driscoll had too much odds and beat it easy.
Back in the road at Lyre Mark Bourke beat Denis Wilmot for a stake of €1,400 a-side. Wilmot took his first lead after three to the creamery, but gave it back to Bourke with a poor bowl from here, Wilmot recovered well with a huge bowl to the school cross and Bourke was very right of sop and missed the tip. Two more each up the straight from the cross Bourke was back in front again as Wilmot was too tight right in the drain. Bourke went sight for the home straight with the aid of a rub in three more where he was throwing his odds over thirty meters. After two more into the line Bourke won by almost a bowl.
Other scores Kieran O’Sullivan (BG) beat Conor McCarthy last shot €1,100 a-side. In a mixed doubles score on Monday Ritchie Lawton and Laura Sexton were in sublime form when they beat Rachel Kingston and David Deane by two bowls for €550 a-side. Conor McCarthy beat Francie O’Brien one bowl €1,200 a-side, Eoin Hurley beat John Hickey one bowl €2,200 a-side and Ritchie Lawton beat Jack Cahalane one bowl €2,500 a-side.
The annual Ból Fada in Armagh drew a large contingent of players and spectators to the Keady Tassagh venue. Cork had a great start to the weekend when they took the three scores on Friday Emma Hurley from Drinagh just held on to beat Ella Mai Carr by the last shot. Anthony Gould and Michael Murphy had a one bowl win over Ronan McClelland and Paul O’Reilly for a stake of €6,500 a-side. Armagh held the early advantage after six shots to Lappen’s lane they led by eighty meters. Cork hit the front with two huge bowls to the old creamery, at Croziers Cork were throwing their odds over fifteen meters. A dip in form from Armagh and suddenly they were two bowls down at Shortt’s lane. Cork finished well and won out in the end by two bowls of odds.
Eoin McCarthy and Kevin Ó’Cruálaoi had to come from a bowl down early in the score to take victory in the end by almost two bowls from Padraigh Nugent and Danny Carragher, playing for a stake of €7,100 a-side.
On to Saturday morning’s action where Tim Young Bantry lined out against Pete Carr for a stake of €8,700 a-side. Nothing between them after three each heading for Twynams bend. Carr took his first lead before the bend, and raised big odds from the piggeries, Young had it back to thirty meters at the creamery lane. After twelve shots each through McCann’s corner Carr lead by twenty meters, he extended this to eighty meters with a super thirteenth shot that covered the carnival straight. A poor bowl here from Young to McKee’s wall and he fell a bowl adrift. He recovered with a good bowl to the bridge but Carr had too much in hand for the last shots.
Two top class players Shane Crowley from Caheragh and Aaron Hughes played for a stake of €23,000 a-side, three huge opening bowls past McKee’s wall for Crowley where he had big odds, he raised the bowl with a huge fourth shot to the carnival gates. Hughes got a super bowl to the ESSO sign that Crowley only beat by forty meters in two. At Gillogly’s Crowley put daylight between them again but Hughes lined a great bowl to the far side of the Creamery lane that gave him sight and where Crowley only beat the tip by thirty meters. Facing Twynams in thirteen each Hughes had yet to lead but was coming very close to it, Crowley held a twelve meter advantage here and Hughes had it back to a meter with their next to the cottage. Hughes got a great bowl to sight at Twynams and still Crowley beat this aby a foot. Hughes next was very unlucky to catch a manhole cover that threw it off course, Crowley took full advantage of this and raised big odds. Crowley missed sight for the line and Hughes still had a chance but had to make sight which he failed to do so as he caught a kerb. Crowley was tight right with his last but his power got it over the line.
The Sexton sisters from Timoleague in the thick of Storm David recorded a great win from Derval Toal and Gemma McCann playing for a stake of €7,560 a-side.
DALY'S GOOD RUN OF FORM RUNS OUT
Gary Daly’s recent good run came to an end when he lost to Armagh footballer Ethan Rafferty for €9,000 a-side. At the bus shelter in two Rafferty had three meters of odds, he extended this odd with a huge rub before Twynams bend and followed up with another massive bowl to the cottage that raised the bowl of odds for him as Daly was too tight right. Daly leaving a lot of his bowls right and not getting away with it found himself almost two bowls down after seven and eight shots facing the creamery lane. Daly kept it under the two bowls after two more shots to Dooley’s Brae. Rafferty raised the second bowl at McGeown’s heights and held it to McCann’s. With the odds being too much and road running out Daly conceded.
Timmy McDonagh had to give way to Eugene McVeigh in their encounter, playing for a stake of €4,000 a-side.
On the return route at Keady Tassagh, Brian O’Driscoll suffered his first defeat in twelve months when he was beat by Darragh Gribben in the last shot where they played for a stake of €13,500 a-side. O’Driscoll went a bowl of odds down but clawed his way back to push the score to a last shot. Gribben’s last shot was a winner but subject to a call, his second effort fell six inches short of the line but with odds of over eighty meters it was going to be a difficult task for O’Driscoll to put a bowl in front of him, he was left of play and the honours went to Gribben.
Colm Rafferty retained the Joe McVeigh Cup when he beat Arthur McDonagh by a bowl of odds for a stake of €15,500 a-side. McDonagh started the better in this score after two shots past the bus shelter he had fifty meters of odds but squandered this when he played his third into the right. At Twynams bend in five each the score was level. Rafferty settled into this score the better from here. Rafferty took his first lead with a great bowl to Gallogys heights, he held this lead on to the Creamery lane, a dip in form from McDonagh out to McCann’s corner. Rafferty got a great bowl down the carnival straight and at McKee’s wall was up a bowl of odds that he held out the bridge and on for the finish.
Noel O’Regan made another huge comeback at Templemartin on Sunday where he lined out against Liam Murphy in a Tim Foley Tournament score playing for €1,320 a-side. O’Regan took the first three shots through the passage, Murphy lined a big fourth to the Cottage to take his first lead. O’Regan missed Slyne’s bend in five and Murphy went full sight. Murphy raised a bowl of odds with a huge sixth to the new house, he made Collin’s wall in two more incredible throws where he had almost two bowls of odds. Murphy missed the School Cross in two more and O’Regan was clawing his way back into the score, at the far side of the cross Murphy’s odds was down to a bowl and ten meters. O’Regan made a good effort for the stonefield bend but his bowl fell left, Murphy missed this tip and was now only throwing his odds. Murphy’s next caught the stonefield bend and O’Regan went half way to Buttimer’s with a very well thrown fifteenth shot, Murphy beat this by seventy meters. O’Regan lined another super bowl facing the monument straight, Murphy only beat this by a foot. O’Regan’s next broke badly right off the play and Murphy extended his odds again to fifty meters. At the pub cross in nineteen shots each Murphy had a one meter lead. Three poor bowls from Murphy back of the line from here gave O’Regan the honours.
Schull wrapped up the Denny/Frankie cup with victory going to Martin collins over Tom McCarthy and Kevin Courtney playing for a stake of €1,320 a-side.
Kenneth Murphy will play Ger O’Driscoll in the Mid Cork Junior B championship final when he had victory over Trevor O’Sullivan by the last shot at Castletown playing for a stake of €1,950 a-side.
